Chapter 21: My Idol Neighbors
The elevator ascended directly to the twenty-second floor.
With a 'ding' from the elevator, the spacious elevator hall doors slowly opened, and the girls poured out. Fortunately, the corridor was very wide, so even with seven people, it didn't feel crowded at all.
"Which one is ours?" Kim Garam looked at the entryways on both sides and asked the manager.
"Foolish, isn't it written here?" Liu Zhimin's exasperated voice came over. Following her leader's finger, they saw a standee placed at the entryway on the right.
"Welcome IVE members to your new dorm!"
"Let's go, let's go!" Choi Yunjin impatiently pushed Kim Garam and headed towards the entryway.
Kim Garam didn't have time to bicker with her and excitedly ran after her.
The manager looked at the excited girls, chuckled, took out his phone to send a message to President nim, then glanced back at the entryway on the left behind him, and followed the girls.
Stepping into the dorm, a chorus of 'wows' erupted.
"This dorm is a total of 228 square meters. There are two units per floor, and the neighbor's unit next door is a bit larger, at 243 square meters," the manager, who had followed the six girls in, explained.
(Korea does not use square meters to calculate house size; it has been converted for ease of reading.)
The girls no longer had time for the manager; they scattered, excitedly exploring every corner of the new dorm.
"Wow! You can see the night view of the Han River!"
Zhang Yuanying was pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the brightly lit Han River area outside the window.
Although it was already past midnight and the date had turned to May 31st, the girls felt no sleepiness at all.
The dorm they were currently living in was a suite, just over a hundred square meters, which wasn't very crowded, but it was far inferior to this luxurious river-view apartment!
Clap, clap, clap.
A few minutes later, the manager clapped his hands, gathering the girls once again.
"There are three bedrooms, just enough for two people per room. You can divide them freely. Bedding and basic furniture and appliances are provided. You can move your own things tomorrow. Everyone, please choose your rooms and rest as soon as possible."
"Yes!" x6.
Zhang Yuanying reached out and pulled Liu Zhimin in front of her, speaking amidst Liu Zhimin's puzzled gaze.
"Shall we share a room?"
"Okay." Liu Zhimin nodded, not refusing.
On the other side, Choi Yunjin also approached Lily.
"Lily Ouni, shall we share a room?"
Lily was startled, looking at Choi Yunjin who had approached her, and she didn't refuse either.
The atmosphere within the team was a bit subtle, but Lily wasn't entirely sure of the specific reason. In any case, it had nothing to do with her.
If the four of them were accessories to Liu Zhimin and Zhang Yuanying, then she was an accessory among accessories.
However, as a good-natured person, the other members of the team didn't bully her much; they all treated her as a teammate they could get along with normally.
After the rooms were assigned, the manager clapped his hands again.
"Then I'll leave first. Everyone, pay attention: you have an engagement tomorrow morning at nine. I'll come to pick you up at eight, and I hope you'll be ready to leave when I arrive."
"Yes~"
Seeing this, the manager nodded and left.
Once the manager left, the girls were still very excited. Moving into a new dorm so suddenly, this fresh feeling wasn't going to fade so easily.
"Let's divide the rooms first," Liu Zhimin suggested.
"Yes~"
The others all agreed.
...
At 7:30 AM, Jiang Shu groggily awoke from his sleep.
He stretched out his arm, fumbling on the bed for a long time but still not touching the nightstand. In a fit of annoyance, he threw off the covers and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.
"Is it 7:30?" Jiang Shu rubbed his eyes. He had been slacking off a bit since IVE's debut, and that wouldn't do.
That damn Yang Hyun-suk treated him this way, he had to take revenge by shitting all over Yang Hyun-suk's head!
That bastard!
Hmm! I'm energized!
Jiang Shu's previously muddled mind instantly cleared up, as if he had eaten a hundred Snickers bars.
Unlocking his phone, he saw a message from IVE's manager.
"Did they move in in the middle of the night?" Jiang Shu murmured, a bit surprised.
As a reward for IVE, Jiang Shu rented a new dorm for IVE next to his own residence, and it happened to be on the same floor as his.
Yes, the large apartment next to IVE's new dorm was Jiang Shu's residence in Seoul. However, unlike IVE's new rented dorm, he had bought this apartment outright.
DM Entertainment might be poor, but what did that have to do with Jiang Shu?
He got out of bed, wondering if IVE's members were out for schedules yet, and decided to go check.
After a simple wash-up, he changed into more casual clothes and went out to see his idol neighbors.
Stepping out of the door, he immediately saw the standee he had placed still at the entrance of IVE's new dorm.
He walked over, picked it up, and pressed the doorbell along the way.
To Jiang Shu's surprise, before the bell had rung for even half a minute, the security door opened, and what immediately came into view was Lily's bare face.
"President nim!" Lily was startled when she saw Jiang Shu and quickly bowed in greeting.
"Are you all awake?" Jiang Shu asked as he walked in.
"Everyone is already up and washing up," Lily closed the door, explaining to Jiang Shu.
"Huh? President nim!"
Zhang Yuanying, who was practicing yoga by the sofa, saw Jiang Shu walk in and called out with wide eyes.
"Good morning, Xiao Yuan." Jiang Shu greeted with a smile. "How was your stay last night?"
"It was amazing!" Zhang Yuanying stopped her yoga pose and gave Jiang Shu a thumbs up. "President nim's surprise was truly wonderful!"
"Good, as long as you like it." Jiang Shu chuckled softly. "I live right next door to you. If you ever need anything, you can come find me."
"President nim, you live next door?" Liu Zhimin's head suddenly peeked out from the bathroom, her face still covered with unwashed foam.
"That's right." Jiang Shu nodded with a smile. "Otherwise, how would I have come over at just past seven?"
"Doesn't that mean we can go to President nim's house for free meals?" Zhang Yuanying looked at Jiang Shu excitedly, her big eyes sparkling, full of anticipation.
"Apparently not." Jiang Shu refused with a smile.
"Ah? Why..." Zhang Yuanying's face fell as she asked.
"Because I can't cook."
Zhang Yuanying: "..."
"Can't we just order takeout?" Liu Zhimin's voice drifted over again.
Zhang Yuanying couldn't help but roll her eyes and said to her roommate in an annoyed tone: "Can't we order it ourselves?"
"If President nim orders it, we don't have to pay."
Jiang Shu: "?"
Zhang Yuanying: "(*)! !"
Was she a genius?
Cleaned up and also bare-faced, Liu Zhimin walked out of the washroom.
Upon seeing Liu Zhimin, Jiang Shu's eyes immediately lit up.
The dorm can be considered a high-rise, large flat version of the luxurious river-view apartment Min Xizhen prepared for NewJeans.